Summary: What exactly does God save us from and how can that effect how I share my faith with others?

OPEN: I read the true story of a teenager was out on his driveway one day playing basketball and he lost one of his contact lens. He was frustrated. He searched and searched and searched for it but couldn’t find it. Totally discouraged he finally went into house and told his mother that the lens was nowhere to be found.

The mother didn’t say much, she just went outside and in a few minutes came back with the lens in her hand. The boy was shocked: "Mom, I really looked hard for that. How'd you manage to find it?"

She replied "We weren't looking for the same thing. You were looking for a small piece of plastic. I was looking for $150."

(R.Digest 10/92 p. 66)

That mother was looking for something she regarded as extremely valuable. And because it was valuable, she didn’t give up till she found it.

Jesus came looking for something really valuable.

Scripture says that He came to seek and save the lost.

In fact – Jesus’ very name means “Savior”.

When the angel appeared to Joseph, he told Joseph that “(Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

The name “Jesus” means – “Savior”.

And that’s the whole theme of the New Testament: Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

The New Testament is all about salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Now this sermon series on Christianese – Christian words the world may not understand and today we’re going to focus on the word: SALVATION.

And in our text in Isaiah we find that salvation is extremely important to God.

When someone is saved – it’s a time of excitement and joy for God.

Notice what it says:

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those

who bring good news,

who proclaim peace,

who bring good tidings,

who proclaim SALVATION,

who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy.

ILLUS: When I prepare my sermons I’ll ask myself questions just like that. And spitball for a while throwing all kinds of thoughts in the mix trying to find the best answers I can think of. And I could think of all kinds of things that God saves me from…

But then I got to thinking – “I wonder what the Bible says?”

That’s a good idea, don’t you think?

I mean I AM a preacher and this is about God’s ideas rather than mine.

So… what does the Bible say we’re saved from?

Let’s hear again the words of that angel:

“(Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people FROM THEIR SINS.” Matthew 1:21